Man City defender Pablo Zabaleta set for West Ham move

Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta looks set to prolong his stay in the Premier League by signing for West Ham, according to reports in Argentina.

The 32-year-old said goodbye to the City supporters on Tuesday night by appearing for the final time at the Etihad Stadium in their 3-1 win over West Brom, his 333rd appearance for a club he signed for all the way back in 2008.

The right-back sees his contract expire this summer and has confirmed that he’ll leave the Citizens, ending his nine-year stay at the club, in which time he has been a huge part of the two Premier League title-winning sides of 2012 and 2014, as well as the team that won the FA Cup in 2011.

And it appears that his next destination is East London, with reports in Argentina suggesting that Zabaleta will sign for Slaven Bilic’s West Ham this summer as they look to bolster their defensive options ahead of next season.

The Hammers have struggled for a right-back throughout the campaign, with the likes of Sam Byram, Cheikhou Kouyate, Sofiane Feghouli, and even Michail Antonio trying their hand in that role but with little success, so a move for an experienced Premier League defender makes complete sense.

Bilic’s men have had an indifferent debut season at the London Stadium, but go into their final game of the season at Burnley on Sunday with an outside chance of finishing in the top-half, which would surely represent a success in what has been a testing season on and off the pitch for the Hammers.